The AIGODS team presented its research today at the poster session of the 11th International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS) 2026 in Christchurch, New Zealand, marking the project’s main moment of direct scientific dissemination within the conference programme. Presented on the third day of the symposium, the poster brought the Douro Demarcated Region (DDR) into an international discussion space shaped by current debates on applied research, robotics, precision tools, sustainability, and climate adaptation in viticulture. In this setting, AIGODS contributed a DDR-based perspective on how data-driven methods can strengthen regional forecasting and institutional decision support.

The work presented focused on one of the project’s most important methodological developments in the yield estimation branch, namely the assessment of whether open-access gridded climate products can replace local meteorological station data without undermining forecasting performance. This question is especially relevant in a regional context where yield estimation depends on data continuity, reproducibility, and future transferability. By presenting this line of work at ICCWS 2026, AIGODS shared not only a technical result, but also a broader methodological contribution centred on more transparent and resilient forecasting workflows for viticulture.

The poster session also created an important opportunity for direct exchange with researchers and professionals working across precision viticulture, climate modelling, sensing technologies, and data-informed agricultural management. Because the poster condensed the project into a visually structured and discussion-oriented format, it helped communicate the practical significance of the AIGODS approach to an audience with diverse technical backgrounds. This made the session particularly valuable as a point of dialogue, allowing the project to be discussed not only as a case study from Portugal, but as part of a wider international effort to improve viticultural intelligence through geospatial and analytical methods.

To accompany today’s presentation, the project has also made available an interactive ArcGIS StoryMaps version of the poster, extending access to the conference output beyond the physical venue. During the three days of ICCWS 2026, the StoryMaps version recorded 70 views, reinforcing the value of this digital format in broadening the reach of the project’s maps, comparative visualisations, and analytical results. In this way, the StoryMaps version does not simply duplicate the poster. It expands its accessibility and supports a more open and flexible form of scientific communication, consistent with the project’s commitment to visibility, transparency, and public-facing dissemination. More reflections on the AIGODS participation at ICCWS 2026 will be shared shortly.

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